Encore
by uprisingdragon
Summary: It was funny to think that their relationship started with a dog, of all things. Olivia, who was starting to feel like she would never find love, and Henry, who was the newest member to the Shepherds and scared most of the soldiers, found common interest in a small dog named Encore.


**Hey guys! It's Uprisingdragon here with her first one-shot! Alright, so this actually isn't my favorite in-game couple, but the viewer response on my other fanfic (Shepherd's Song) really wanted some OliviaxHenry. While I couldn't put them as a couple in that story because they were already paired with other characters, I decided to make a one-shot dedicated to their relationship. If you like this story, check out my other story, Shepherd's Song! Enjoy reading!**

 **I do not own Fire Emblem**

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Olivia didn't know it at the time, but it all started with Nowi and Ricken's wedding. Sure, almost all of the Shepherds were already hitched (some even had children), but it really hit home when a sixteen year old boy was getting married before she was.

It wasn't that she needed a man, of course. Olivia was already on her way learning to be a myrmidon from Lon'qu so that she could be more useful in battle, and she could definitely take care of herself. She just figured that it'd be nice to have someone to come home to and have a family with.

The wedding was incredibly nice, but by the time of the reception, Olivia could feel herself becoming more and more depressed. After all, Chrom and Robin's child, Lucina, had come back from the past recently, being a bittersweet reminder of how they had a lovely family and she didn't. It didn't help that all of the still in bliss married couples were now waltzing and...

Before she knew it, Olivia found herself wandering. It was serene outside, with the sun just setting and the sky a flurry of mixed oranges and pinks. The sounds coming from the church were reduced to a mere hum, leaving Olivia to ponder her thoughts by herself.

As she meandered deeper into town, she realized just how quiet everything was. Was everyone at the wedding, or were they just retiring in their homes for a good nights rest? Olivia felt a bittersweet smile coax it's way onto her her face as memories of when Basilio would check on her as a child before she went to bed. It would always be so quiet-

"...Aw, poor little doggy," Olivia's ears perked up at the sound of a familiar voice in a nearby alley. Without thinking twice about it, she slowly edged her way towards the sound," The silly mutt stepped in a hole and hurt its leg."

Olivia's eyes widened in horror when she saw the newest addition to the army, a white haired dark Mage named Henry with a psychotic fascination with blood, reaching out to touch a poor puppy trying to scamper it's way out of a pothole. In a matter of milliseconds, Olivia rocketed in-between the cute puppy and the crazy Plegian," DON'T TOUCH THAT DOG!"

Henry scrunched his face In confusion," Huh? What the hey?"

"I know you! You're that creepy kid who likes blood and magic and...blood magic!" She held her hands out straight to act as a barrier between the two," You stay away from that poor little doggy!"

The white boy pouted," But this dog is hurt. See, his leg has this-"

Olivia couldn't stand the thought of him dissecting the tiny animal, so she quickly got onto her knees and coaxed the puppy's leg out of the hole. Much to her horror, it was already covered in blood. Henry's eyes widened in fascination as he reached out to examine the wound, but she hugged the animal close to her body and turned so that it was out of his reach," N-no! Stop! I'll take care of him and nurse him back to health!"

"Huh?" Henry blinked in confusion, trying to figure out what she meant. When it finally occurred to him, his smile widened," Oh, okay, sure! We can take care of him together!"

This time, Olivia was the one who was confused," T-together? Waaait a second; Aren't you going to sacrifice him to your dark god or something?"

The dark mage laughed cheerfully," You're a crazy lady. Why would I do that? I love doggies! I want to save his life! Right, boy?" This time when he reached forward, Olivia didn't shy away. Henry took this as a good sign and started to run the puppy's head," Who's a good boy? Aren't you glad the crazy lady wants to help us? Yes you are!"

The pink haired girl pouted," Hey! How am I crazy? You're the one who's obsessed with blood!"

Henry poked her nose playfully," Hey, that's a medical condition! Show some respect!"

Olivia suddenly became flustered by the brief contact and turned as red as a strawberry," I...Oh, never mind. Right now, we have a dog that needs looking after. Will you run and get me some bandages?"

"We've got some at camp, why don't we take little Hex there?"

"Hex?" The dancer grimaced," I don't want to name something as sweet as this doggy after something that could murder a person," She glanced down at the puppy's black fur and smiled," Why don't we name him Encore? I think that's cute!"

Henry grinned," You got it, crazy lady!"

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About a week had passed since they first found Encore. Chrom had been a little hesitant to let an animal accompany the army, especially one so young, but he broke when he saw his wife and daughter gushing over how cute it was. The conditions of it's stay was that they had to spend an hour every day to train him properly and teach him to sniff out things like Risen and smoke in order to prevent surprise attacks.

Although it was just a week waiting in the harbor while the prepared to sail to Valm, Olivia was becoming fond of both Encore and Henry. Both of them had the tendency to make her laugh and keep her attitude bright in the midst of another war that threatened her home country. The strength that Henry possessed also encouraged her to train even harder to achieve vantage. By the time they were setting sail, Olivia had already officially reclassed into a myrmidon and was given her first sword from Basilio.

A few weeks into their trip, there was word of an oncoming ambush from Walhart's navy. From what she had heard, their army vastly outnumbered theirs. Thankfully, there was also reassurance that Robin had a plan that would most likely succeed. Chrom had ordered his most trusted Shepherds to fight the main three battle ships before Robin's plan could become a reality, and that was a fairly easy task with Cordelia scouting out over the waters and wiping out any Pegasus Riders with her beast killer. Chrom used his rapier to cut down any generals in his path with Robin shooting her powerful arcthunder at those who tried to ambush her husband. Sumia carried Gaius on the back of her Pegasus to the chests on the other boats in order to gain some profit for the army. Henry and Olivia stuck by each other, seeing that she was the closest friend he had in the Shepherds, and fought to protect their boat.

When the commander, Ignatious, was taken out by Frederick and Tharja, everyone waited with baited breath from Chrom's signal to abandon ship. Apparently they were setting one of their fleets on fire and pushing it into Chon'sin's navy to catch all of theirs ablaze. While confident in their tactician's plans, Olivia had a bad feeling about it.

Once Chrom learned of the general's defeat, he turned back to his wife," Robin! Their general has fallen! I'm giving the signal!" She nodded in determination," All appointed ships, change course! Head right at them! Ramming speed!"

A Soldier standing near Olivia watched in horror as they approached the flaming ship,"...Gods and thunder! Any second now!"

Chrom held up his hand," Steady... Steaaaady..."

"We're right on top of them!"

Chrom closed his hand into a fist and point to the right," NOW! JUUUMP!"

Olivia braced herself as she abandoned the ship, ducking under the water just in time to miss the explosion. After the blast had settled, she pushed herself back out of the water and onto the Shepherds' remaining ship. The army cheered at their success with their commanders already talking about their future plans to attack Valm's main harbor. Olivia ran her hand through her soaked hair, giddy that they had won. To think, if it had been a normal day, she would be spending this time training Encore with Henry-

Wait a minute.

Olivia frantically looked around the boat for a sign of her white haired friend, but there wasn't any. She desperately turned to the closest soldier," Have you seen my friend?! He has white hair and Plegian robes-"

"Him?" The soldier scratched the back of his head," I don't think so...did he know about the signal?"

"Of course he did! He was right next to me during the battle! Please try and remember the past few minutes, he's a good friend of mine! We've been training a dog together all week-"

"A dog?" The man's face turned solemn," You mean the dog that ran underneath our ship to find the fire?"

Olivia gasped," Oh gods, do you think Henry went after him?" She didn't need an answer to know that that was definitely where her friend had gone. Tears prickled in her eyes," Oh gods, why?! He was too young! He was-" Without warning, the sound of a faint bark interrupted her. The soldier noticed her sudden mood change and opened his mouth to say something, but she hushed him. The girl waited with baited breath for the sound again, praying that it wasn't just her imagination. Suddenly, she heard the bark again.

The pink haired girl threw her sword off of her waist and onto the deck as she jumped over the railing and back into the ocean, ignoring the sounds of her fellow soldiers yelling. With a fierce sense of determination that Olivia didn't know she possessed, she powered on through the flaming water to find her friend. She swam through the remnants of her old ship, searching frantically for any sign of life.

Much like the first day she had originally met Henry, her ears picked up the sound of something out of the ordinary. Without hesitation, she swam into the heart of the ship, more than received to find Encore on a slab of wood with Henry hanging over the side of it. From what she could see, he was unconscious, but not dead. Encore barked happily when he found his other owner, licking her cheeks gratefully. She giggled in relief and pulled Henry off the plank and onto her shoulder," Come on, Encore!" The puppy hesitated slightly before jumping in after her, following the pink haired girl to safety.

When they arrived, they lowered a lifeboat for them to climb onto so that they could carry all three back onto the ship. Once they were carried onto the top, the healers immediately set onto the both of them, confirming that Henry was indeed still alive and kicking. As soon as they were both wrapped up in bandages, they were sent into the infirmary to rest.

It didn't take long for the white haired boy to wake up, but when he did, he shot straight up and accidentally reopened one of his wounds. Olivia, who was exhausted from the day's events, drearily glanced over at her friend," Um, Henry?" Her eyes widened in horror when she noticed the growing crimson spot spread across his shirt," What are those red stains on your clothes?"

Henry glanced down and tilted his head curiously," Oh, will you look at that? It's blood! ...Wonder where it came from?" He stuck the tip of his finger in it and licked it,"..Oh, hey! It's MY blood! Nya ha! I must have been wounded in battle! Oh man, good times."

"GROSS!...And also really creepy...And why are you laughing about it?!" Olivia ignored her body's annoyed protests as she got onto her feet and pulled bandages out of the cabinet," That wound needs to be dressed immediately!"

Henry blinked in shock," Wait, You wanna help?"

Olivia nodded and pulled his shirt off, cringing at the amount of blood already oozing onto his chest,"...Oh, gods, look at how deep this is! How could you not notice?"

"Oh, I've got a high pain threshold. It's a genetic thing. Nerve damage," He noticed that this wasn't exactly reassuring his friend, so he took a different approach," I've had a lot worse than this!"

Olivia's jaw dropped, causing her to pause from wrapping the bandages around the wound," You've had WORSE? Where? And how?!"

He shrugged," When I was a kid, my parents put me in this exclusive wizard school. Well, as you can imagine, some of the experiments got a bit out of hand," He laughed in remembrance," Once, I almost set my face on fire! Nya ha! Those were the days..."

"Your teachers were negligent," She tutted," Why didn't your parents pull you out of there?"

"Meh, my parents didn't care what I did as long as I wasn't expelled. Heck, the whole reason they sent me to wizard school was to get rid of me," Henry's voice trailed off, but he made sure to place on an extra big smile for his friend," But hey, no worries! I turned out fine!"

Olivia, on the other hand, was finally beginning to understand him," I see now... Your cheerful demeanor is just a mask you use to hide your pain. You use it as a cover to tamp down your deep-seated resentment and anger..."

"That's what all my psychiatrists said," He chuckled," But nope! Not true. I'm just a happy guy."

"No, no, You can't fool me. I've never seen a real smile from you, one from the heart. I'm a performer, you know! I can tell a faker when I see one," She took his hand in hers and squeezed in comfortingly," Shhh... It's all okay now. You never need to visit that terrible school again. Now come on, let down your guard. Show me the real Henry!"

Henry exchanged a confused look with Encore, who was sneaking glances at them while guarding their door. His owner laughed at his silly pet before turning his attention back to Olivia, who was still attempting to make him frown by holding his hand," Wow. You really ARE a crazy lady!"

The dancer pouted," I am not crazy! I'm trying to help, so you could at least be polite!" When it was obvious he wouldn't be showing his true self any time soon, she sighed," All right, your wound is bandaged. But this isn't over, you hear? I want you to come see me again so I can help you get over these emotional issues."

Henry liked the idea of spending time with his friend outside of training, so he agreed," Hey, sure. I got time."

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Olivia anxiously stood inside the fortress walls. The Shepherds had bombarded the building over an hour ago, and most of the fighting was starting to dwindle down. Unfortunately, the pink haired girl had somehow become separated from Henry during one of the fights, and now she found herself in a large room with four different staircases. At least she wasn't alone; Lon'qu, who by the request of Basilio often fought at least near Olivia during battles, and his son, Owain, were warily watching the entrances of the room," When are those damn reinforcements coming?" Lon'qu grumbled. Olivia knew that he wanted to return to his wife, Lissa, as quickly as possible without getting ambushed. Without the backup Say'ri promised, there was a slim chance of that happening any time soon.

Suddenly, a group of eight fighters in Chon'sin robes barreled from the stairs into the room. The pink haired girl sighed in relief and went to greet them, but Lon'qu held his hand out," Something is amiss."

Olivia's eyes widened and she quickly got into battle stance along with the other two sword fighters. Their explanation came when a stout, purple haired man warped into the room next to them, smirking victoriously," Oooh, it appears I'm just in time for the Rebellion reunion! Delicious...," He turned to the group of soldiers and grinned," Please, do give your "friends" your warmest welcome. Just remember your promise...or you can be sure I will remember mine."

They were outnumbered, eight to three. Her grip tightened on her sword, watching as the ugly man warped out of the room to most likely torment her friends. It was times like these that she wished Robin could be in more than one place at a time," Lon'qu, do you have a plan?"

"Kill them," With those words, chaos erupted. The father and son duo worked together to slice through any enemy that dared to fight them, but there were a few that realized that Olivia had no one to back her up. Soon, there were three people fighting her at once; two low level swordsmasters and one sorcerer.

She was holding up her own against the two swordsmasters, but the way that the sorcerer just watched her unnerved her greatly. Eventually, she outwitted the two and managed to kill them, but her victory was short lived. Just as she was preparing to face off with the sorcerer, a black orb slammed into her stomach and sent her flying against the wall. Owain was immediately at her side with a concoction in his hands while his father slain the last enemy.

The fight ended shortly after that, but Olivia still felt funny after taking the concoction. She figured that it was just adrenaline still bubbling inside of her and set off to do a late training session with Encore and Henry. Much to her distress, the feeling only intensified inside of her, making her increasingly nervous. She decided to distract herself after the training session by trying to council Henry again," Now, when you feel sad, you pull your face like so...," She demonstrated by frowning.

Henry, of course, could not bring himself to do the same thing. Instead, he sucked in his lips and formed a straight line with his mouth," You mean like this?"

"No, down! The corners of your mouth are supposed to go DOWN!" Olivia sighed, trying to find another approach to make him understand better," I'm starting to think that you're incapable of changing your expression," She glanced down at Encore, whose head was on her lap," Look, Henry. Life is like dancing...You can't just mimic the moves. You have to FEEL them!"

He broke out of the odd frown attempt he had made and reformed his happy-go-lucky smile," Nya ha! You compare everything to dancing. It's hilarious!"

Olivia huffed," I don't think this is a laughing matter. I'm trying to help you, you know!"

If Henry could look exasperated, he probably would've at that moment," Look, crazy lady. I like you. I really do. But you have GOT to let this go," he watched as her face fell and her hands wrapped around her stomach. Was he making her sad? For some reason, Henry didn't like that at all," I smile because I'm happy, all right? There's nothing more to it."

Olivia, on the other hand, felt extremely short of breath. In fact, it was almost as if someone was slowly strangling her, tightening their grip until there was no air left at all. She hugged herself tighter and squeezed her eyes shut, praying that the feeling would just go away," N-no. That just can't be possible," Suddenly, she couldn't breath at all. Without warning, she fell onto her side and curled into a tight ball," Ungh...urg...!"

Encore, whose head had been shaken off of his lovely owner's lap, started whining hysterically. Henry furrowed his eyebrows, hoping that this was just some sort of a cruel way to try and make him frown," Hey, are you okay there? You're making funny noises."

"M-my chest...suddenly...feels tight...C-can't breathe...Sorcerer...from earlier...hit me...It h-hurts...," The dancer whimpered.

Henry knew exactly what was going on now," Aw, jenkies! You've been cursed! I'd know those symptoms anywhere. Someone must have-"

Olivia panted, feeling all of her energy starting to fade from her body," Henry...please. You have to get...out of here...I don't want...you to see me...like this."

"What?! Oh come on, that's crazy talk. You're gonna die here in a second," He cracked his knuckles and tucked his hands underneath hers and onto her stomach," Now you just sit there while I dispel the curse...Hmm, let's see...," He murmured a string of unrecognizable words under his breath, trying desperately to reverse the curse," KA-BLAMMO! So long, curse! See ya in hell!"

She wasn't moving. Encore anxiously licked her face, trying to wake her up, but nothing the dog was doing seemed to be working. Henry pulled his hands from her stomach and laughed nervously," Olivia? H-hey, Olivia...You being crazy again, right?" Still no answer. No, no, no, this couldn't be happening. She couldn't be dead! She was the sweetest person in the entire world and the only one in the army that was brave enough to approach him. Henry shook his head in disbelief before grabbing her shoulders and shaking her wildly," Olivia?! Olivia?! Aw, come on, Olivia! You can't die now!" He felt tears escape his eyes when he realized just how late he was. Henry broke into sobs and hugged her body close to him, rocking it back and forth as he cried into her chest," NO! OLIVIA! Come back to me, Olivia! Stay with me! STAY WITH ME, PLEASE!"

Olivia's eyes fluttered open, the feeling of being choked long gone. Exhaustion was now consuming her body, probably because she had fought the curse for as long as she could and paid the price for it. Her gaze flitted to Henry, who was shockingly bawling while holding her. She mustered up some of her remaining energy to place her hand on top of his head," S-stop crying. I'm...I'm all right."

Henry's head rocketed up, causing her hand to slide down onto his tear stained cheeks. As soon as he realized that she was alive, the most genuine smile she had ever seen him produce erupted into his face," Aw, thank goodness! I was worried there for a sec."

The girl giggled and attempted to wipe the remaining tears off of his face," Well, at least I finally got to see a different expression on your face...," She yawned sleepily, tilting her head so that it was nuzzled into his chest.

Henry watched the pink haired girl with newfound awe, shifting to accommodate to her new position," Did you? I totally didn't notice," He ran his hand through her hair, only now noticing how soft it was," You had a heck of a curse on you, and I know how draining that can be. You can get some sleep now if you want."

She nodded and allowed him to scoop her up and tuck her into his cot. Encore jumped up onto the spot next to hers and snuggled against her side, making sure that he was in a spot that faced the tent flap. The white haired boy was about to head off and tell Frederick about the threat of possible curses on their soldiers, but something Olivia said on his way out made him stop," Thank you, Henry. You saved my life."

He grinned, suddenly aware of what he wanted to do. Before exiting, he made his way back to the cot and kissed her cheek," Make sure to look after her, Encore. I'll be back real soon."

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When Olivia woke up in Henry's tent the next morning, she also was suddenly aware of what she wanted to do. She bit back a bashful grin and got to her feet, rubbing the top of Encore's head to wake him up," Come on, puppy! Let's go find Henry!"

The dog barked happily and followed her out of the tent. Everyone was preparing to pack up and fight Yen'fay's forces with almost everyone talking about the Khans' battle against Walhart's army. Olivia desperately hoped that they would come back soon and safely. She didn't want to imagine what life would be like without either of them, especially Basilio. The man had, after all, practically raised her.

After half an hour of searching, she finally found the boy she had been looking for," Henry, I want to thank you for your help the other day."

The dark mage bashfully hid his hands behind his back," Oh, hi Olivia! Don't worry about it the whole life saving thing. After all, you saved my life three weeks ago, and I should have recognized the symptoms faster," He grinned," But don't worry! I'm gonna find who did it and make sure they never curse you again. Oh, yes. There will be blood..."

Olivia giggled," Im fairly certain that he's already dead, but the thought is sweet...I think. I'm just glad you're on our side!"

"Well, I'm glad I'm on YOUR side!"

She didn't notice until now, but she liked his bright demeanor. Olivia had no idea why she tried to make him frown in the first place," You do have a very nice smile, Henry. Even if it is a little creepy sometimes."

Henry's ears turned pink," Aw, hamburgers. Really?"

"Absolutely! And what's more, I was wrong to have ever doubted its sincerity!" She folded her hands together," I think I'm done giving you lessons."

He reached forward, boldly taking one of her hands in his," Hey, I like your lessons! And I like YOU!" Henry's eyes widened, almost as if he'd realized just what he had said. After a few seconds of shock, he adopted a confident look, determined to say what he had been meaning to say for awhile now," In fact...I wanna be with you all the time!"

Olivia felt a blush creep onto her cheeks," Henry?"

"You don't think I went to all those frowning lessons because I wanted to frown, do you? Heck no! I went because I wanted to see you and be with you!" He pulled his other hand out from behind his back, only to reveal the velvet, black box in his palm," So let's get hitched! What do you say? I've got a blood-magic spell all ready!"

The girl cringed at the idea of another curse being placed on her, even if it wasn't a bad one," Wh-what?! Um, but, H-henry, I don't..."

"Ha! Just kiddin'," Henry laughed almost nervously before getting down on one knee and opening the box," I bought you a ring. Here, see? It's huge and everything."

Olivia held her free hand over her heart, making sure to keep the other one firmly tucked in Henry's hand. What was she supposed to say? Of course she felt the same way about him, but she didn't want to come off as clingy! Oh dear...what to say, what to say? Her eyes fell back onto the ring,"...Oh my goodness. That IS huge!" She felt Encore nudge her, suddenly giving her the right words to say," Henry, when we first met, all of my friends were getting married and I thought I'd be alone forever. Then I met you, and my life has changed forever. I think I'm stronger, braver, and much more confident than I've ever been in my life. You are a very odd man, Henry, and yet I find myself head over heels in love with you. So yes! Let's get married!"

Henry cheered and slipped the ring on her finger. In one fluid motion, he scooped her up and spun her around like a princess. With the two giggling like idiots, Henry plopped onto the ground with her still in his arms," Awesome! You won't regret this, Olivia. I promise!"

Olivia couldn't keep the giddy smile off of her face," Oh, this might just be the happiest day of my life!"

"Nya ha! Just hearing that makes me even happier than before!"

The pink haired girl snorted, planting a quick kiss on his cheek," Hee hee. I didn't think that was possible...Then again, I didn't think I'd ever fall in love with someone like you," Encore hopped onto her lap, licking both of his owners' hands blissfully," Do you think any of this would've happened if we hadn't found Encore?"

Henry shrugged and patted the dog's head," Either way, I'm sure glad that we did!"


End file.
